Discrimination against Muslims rises in France, Ombudsman warns

Discrimination based on religion has risen in France, with one in three Muslims reporting they have experienced bias, says a report by the French Defender of Rights, Claire Hedon.

The findings draw attention to the challenges faced by France’s significant Muslim community, largely composed of immigrants from former colonies in North Africa. French law prohibits the collection of data on race, ethnicity, or religion, making comprehensive statistics difficult. However, Hedon’s office cited a 2024 survey of 5,000 individuals representative of the population, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Seven percent of respondents said they had experienced religious discrimination over the past five years, up from five percent in 2016. The rates were highest among people of Muslim heritage: up to 34 percent of Muslims—or those perceived as Muslim—reported discrimination, compared with 19 percent of adherents of other religions, including Judaism and Buddhism, and just four percent of Christians. The rate among Muslim women was 38 percent, versus 31 percent for men.

The report highlights the particular vulnerabilities faced by Muslim women who wear the headscarf. “Stigmatised in public spaces, they face restrictions on their careers,” it states. Examples include being forced to leave jobs, accepting positions below their qualifications, or turning to community enterprises or self-employment when other opportunities are blocked. In some cases, women are even barred from participating in sports.

French secularism, or laïcité, originates from the 1905 law that protects “freedom of conscience,” separates church and state, and guarantees state neutrality. Yet in recent years, it has been cited to justify bans on visible religious symbols in certain settings, including state schools.

The report notes that around a quarter of respondents misunderstand secularism as “a ban on religious symbols in public spaces,” reflecting a “gap between social perception and the reality of the legal framework.” It links this misunderstanding to broader societal secularization and “political and media discourses.”

The report calls for improved education on French secularism, warning that policies often presented as combating religious segregation—such as banning headscarves—can “contribute to fostering it.” Rights groups argue that such bans still amount to telling women what to wear, rather than granting them the freedom to make their own choices.

By Vafa Guliyeva